LIC employees demand OPS for all, hike in family pension

LIC employees staging protest in Jammu.
LIC employees staging protest in Jammu.

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 29: LIC employees under the banner of Northern Zone Insurance Employees’ Association led by Divisional secretary, Pawan Gupta and president-Fayaz Ahmed Gul held massive demonstrations across LIC offices of Jammu & Kashmir in support of LIC –GIC pensioners dharna at Jantar Mantar in Delhi today to demand Old Pension Scheme and increase in family pension to 30% of basic pay.
Speaking on the occasion at DO Cell Jammu, Pawan Gupta lambasted on the Central Govt for not increasing the family pension to 30% of basic pay, in spite of the fact that the LIC Board has already recommended it since more than three years. It is the gross injustice to the widows of the deceased employees because all other institutions like Banks, Govt employees are already getting the family pension at rate of 30%; while in LIC and GIC, widows are getting it at merely 15% of basic pay.
It was also demanded strongly to scrap the NPS and implement Old Pension Scheme for all, as the OPS gives social security in old age; and it is the duty of the government to provide social security. The demand of updation of pension was also raised forcefully by the demonstration. It was also stressed that, in case of Defined Contribution Pension Scheme, the employers’ contribution should be raised to 14%.
Others who spoke on the occasion included Rajesh Gupta, joint secretary, Raj Kumar Sharma- joint secretary, Dinesh Kumar Sharma- vice president, Rajesh Kumar-treasurer, Raj Kumar, Dharminder Kumar, Nanak Chand, Kishore Lal, Priya Sharma and others.
Programme in Srinagar was led by president Fayaz Ahmad Gul, Jt Secy Syed Aadil Imam, vice president Amarjeet Singh, Treasurer Ajaz Ahmad Dar, Javed Ahmad Bukhari, and Gulshan Singh.
LIC employees resolved to fight tooth and nail to protect LIC and against any move of its privatisation.
The programme was organised at Sopore by SD PeeR, Srinagar-1 by Nadeem, Srinagar-2 by Irfan Javed Baba, Srinagar-3 by Ghulam Nabi Mir, Pulwama by Stanzin Sherap and Anantnag by Shakoor Ahmed Dar, Jammu-2 by RP Singh, Doda by Ram Raj, Poonch by Raj Kumar, Rajouri by Vikas Sharma, Kathua by Vijay Verma, Samba by Surat Singh and Udhampur by Moti Ram.